The dirt on waste

How much; disposal; food; plastic; electronic waste; the facts and figures.

By Bill Posters.

Last year, China announced a ban on imports of ‘foreign garbage’. The result? Western stockpiles of used paper and plastic have reached crisis proportions. Adam Liebman on why we need a less rosy notion of what actually happens to our recycling.

Dinyar Godrej explains why the packing industry loves shunting the blame on individual consumers.

Around the world, 15 million people – including children – have little choice but to earn a living from the waste polluting their surroundings. They often work in dangerous conditions, risking their health, sometimes their lives; and are usually relegated to the bottom of the social pecking order, struggling to improve their working conditions.

By supermarkets, that is. Timothy Baster and Isabelle Merminod on the progress of a much-lauded French law.

The mismanagement of Lebanon’s trash has brought citizens onto the streets – and the latest plans are also stoking outrage. But, as Fiona Broom discovers, there are also optimists.

Attempts to solve Cairo’s garbage problems come up against a community whose livelihoods depend on refuse. Hisham Allam reports.

An indigenous movement in Jharkhand is reminding the Indian authorities of their constitutional duty to protect tribal lands. But the government is persecuting tribespeople for standing up. Rohini Mohan reports.

As growth-driven consumer culture spurs on planetary destruction, why don’t we spring into action? Psychologist John F Schumaker situates a frightening erosion of human personality at the heart of the problem.

Art and story by ILYA, with Yohann Koshy.

As 25 November marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Joni Seager maps the stark reality faced by women in every corner of the world – from Belarus to Brazil.

In 1987, the British government contracted a passenger ferry to act as a floating immigration detention centre for Tamil refugees. Later that year a storm set the ship loose from its moorings. Felix Bazalgette reports on the the little-known story of exodus and empire that paved the way for the Windrush scandal.

View from America by Mark Engler.

Misinformation and fake news in Africa is rife, particularly via social media writes Nanjala Nyabola, but it’s not just a Western problem.

Nilanjana Bhowmick reports on Modi's crackdown on dissent - from activist arrests to vigilante lynchings.

Report from China by Nithin Coca.

For our rising new world leader segment, Richard Swift profiles the Oxford-educated former playboy cricketer, and now, Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Report from Ireland by Megan Nolan.

Report from Tanzania by Elsie Eyakuze.

Is conflict in the Arctic drawing closer? Rather than spurring action on climate change, rapidly melting ice is creating more opportunities for geopolitical rivalry.

Report from Bahrain by Phil Miller.

Report from Latin America by Tom Belger.

Queering Kenya; Free to campaign; Justice for cleaners.

Praise, blame and all points in between? Give us your feedback.

Spending some time away from Marabá, Dan Baron Cohen discovers unexpected solidarity with the Amazon in a country mired in violence and despair.

Climate refugees and the right to die with dignity.

On the spectacle of John McCain’s funeral.

Life expectancy in Sierra Leone.

Brainspotting.

Resisting by Tjeerd Royaards (Netherlands).

Development practitioner Adesuwa Ero urges religious leaders in rural Nigeria to rethink their views on climate change before it's too late.

Climate change denial by Kate Evans.

The Vietnam of yesteryear that many Westerners use as a reference point for the nation is long outdated, writes Bennett Murray.

The British director’s latest film, Peterloo, recounts the 1819 massacre of protesters demanding parliamentary reform in Manchester, UK. He speaks to Sam Thompson about the relationship between cinema, history and politics.

Cartoon by P J Polyp.

Highlighting the work of artists and photographers from the Majority World

The high-tech 'snake-oil salesman', gets a grilling.

Cartoon by Marc Roberts.

Firoze Manji and Pablo Yanguas go head to head on the thorny topic of development assistance.

Should I take my eight-year-old son to a demonstration outside an immigration detention centre?

Exploitation by tech firms is not inevitable, suggests Vanessa Baird.

Laibach have produced a version of The Sound of Music that you can march to.

A Massacre in Mexico by Anabel Hernández; Talking to North Korea by Glyn Ford; Russia Without Putin by Tony Wood; Crimson by Niviaq Korneliussen, translated by Anna Halagar.

Disobedience directed by Sebastián Lelio; The Workshop directed by Laurent Cantet.

İstikrarlı Hayal Hakikattir​ by Gaye Su Akyol; Take It by Black Roots.